Counterfeit or fake products infiltrate virtually all industries. Counterfeit products deprive manufacturers of revenue, harm brand integrity and in some cases compromise safety. Accordingly, manufacturers and brand owners strive to keep counterfeit goods out of their supply chains.
Besides counterfeit goods, grey-market products are genuine goods that are leaked into the marketplace where the original, legitimate manufacturer does not receive the full market revenue value. Thus, manufacturers strive to prevent grey-market goods from being distributed and sold.
A useful tool in preventing counterfeit and grey market products would be a unique identification for products that is low-cost, anti-cloning, tamper-proof, and from which data can be easily and effectively retrieved.